


Eye of the Hurricane

by laireshi



Category: Iron Man (Comic), Marvel 616
Genre: Civil War II, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fix-It, M/M, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 04:56:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7604299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laireshi/pseuds/laireshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony reassembles the Illuminati and Steve makes his choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eye of the Hurricane

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Comicsohwhyohwhy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Comicsohwhyohwhy/gifts).



> Thanks for beta to Comicsohwhyohwhy too!
> 
> Spoilers for Civil War II #4; some dialogue lifted from the issue.
> 
> (also a fill for the "Sweet Lady Liberty" prompt at my stevetony bingo card)

Steve is curious, Tony can see as much, but true to his word, he doesn’t ask any questions. If he’s uncomfortable with Tony—let’s call it by name, Tony thinks, with him _reassembling the Illuminati_ , he doesn’t show that. He didn’t utter a word of protest when Tony said he had to talk to all of them. He just nodded.

Which, really, Tony knows Steve can’t be okay with it.

“It’s important,” Tony says. Steve gives him a quizzical look, so Tony gestures around. “This meeting. It’s—” _Necessary_. But Tony can’t shake the memory of the last time he’d stood with Steve on the verge of a moral conflict like this one. He’s going to do better, this time. He has to. He’s going to trust Steve.

Except, he’s still terrified Steve’s only biding his time to say _you haven’t changed at all_ and _I’ll never forgive you_ and _you want to use us all like you used me_.

It’s ridiculous. Steve loves him. Tony knows he does. But everything’s going wrong, Rhodey died, Bruce died, it’s only a matter of time before Carol gets someone else killed if nothing changes, and Tony can’t deal with the thought of fighting his friends again.

He slides to the ground, leans back against the cold wall and curls his legs in. It makes him look pathetic, but he doesn’t have enough energy to put up appearances. There’s only Steve here to see, anyway, and even though everyone else is supposed to arrive soon, they’re all friends, right?

 _For how long_ , a treacherous thought whispers.

There are soft steps, and then Steve’s kneeling next to Tony, his hand touching Tony’s cheek gently. “Hey,” he says. “It’ll be fine.”

“How can you say that?” Tony lets out. He scolds himself mentally. He wanted to comfort Steve, not fall down in front of him _again_. 

Steve’s always been the stronger one, though.

“I trust you,” Steve says. It sounds like he believes it, which is simply impossible. “And—I’ve never seen you trying so hard before.”

 _Trying_. Kidnapping an Inhuman is trying now, apparently. Tony sighs unhappily. “I don’t even remember that war,” he mutters. “I must’ve been an idiot not to try.”

Steve’s hand twitches. “You did try,” he whispers. “I didn’t listen. I spent a lot of time blaming you for that.”

“Rightly—”

“No,” Steve cuts in. “No. So it’s not quite true, what I just said. I’m sorry. The difference is—last time none of us knew how bad it could get. We’ll do better now.”

They both knew exactly how bad it could get when Reed told them of the worlds dying, and then it got _worse_. 

Tony inhales shakily. _Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Stark, man up_. _Lives depend on you_.

“We’ll do better,” he says out loud, and wonders how Steve will react to everything Tony has to say today.

But now, now Steve smiles at him, like Tony’s everything he wants, and he leans in and kisses Tony gently. Then he gets back up, but his touch still left Tony breathing more easily.

Stephen Strange comes first, teleporting himself straight to the room. 

“You could use the door,” Tony says as he always does, but this time it only comes out tired.

Stephen looks at him, frowns. “How are you, Tony?”

“How _can_ I be,” Tony snaps. “Rhodey’s dead, Bruce’s dead, we’re—sorry, Stephen.” Tony deflates. Stephen is honestly worried and Tony knows that. He’s just panicking and lashing out and he knows he’s right but he still worries and he wants this meeting to be over already and—

“Tony,” Steve says. “Breathe.”

“No apologies necessary,” Stephen says. “We all know—take care, Tony.”

“There are more important things right now,” Tony says. He thinks he should get up, but it seems like a herculean task. “Let’s just wait for everyone.”

Stephen nods. He sits a few chairs away from Steve. He also must realise what this looks like, right now, so similar to the moments before Tony ordered him to wipe Steve’s mind. _Never again._

Tony catches Steve’s eye and holds it. _I love you_ , he tries to show. Steve nods with a small smile.

T’Challa comes in next. He too looks at Tony worriedly, but doesn’t comment; he nods at Steve and Stephen and sits down. “Carol’s coming,” he says. “She’s mourning too.”

Tony wants to cry. He knows as much. It doesn’t excuse her. It doesn’t excuse him. He’s so tired.

Then Carol comes, quiet, almost subdued. The Inhumans—and Hank—are with her. Fair enough. Tony wants to say something, but he can’t think past _she killed Rhodey_ yet. He loves her, but—he can’t.

He has a job to do, now.

He leans his head on his palm, the cold of the gauntlet grounding him a bit. “I am so lost,” he says, because it’s true and he has no idea what else he could say. “I need your help.”

He doesn’t look at them. He doesn’t look at any of them, and most of all he doesn’t look at Steve, as he speaks, as he explains the problem—as he admits he made a copy of Ulysses’ brain.

Steve said he trusted Tony. But Tony hasn’t told him that part before, too scared. Always too scared, until it was too late.

It’ll be different, now. It has to be.

Tony talks about how exactly Ulysses’ powers work, he talks about profiling, he knows he’s right and he can see the war happening anyway. 

He gets up and starts to pace around the room, no longer able to stay still. It’s too important. 

But he still doesn’t look at Steve, as he says, “So there it is . . . You tell me . . . You tell me I’m crazy.”

(Tony kinda hopes Steve will.)

“You tell me I’m wrong.”

(He isn’t. He wants to be.)

“You tell me and I swear I’ll give up.”

(He dreams of nothing else and knows he can’t. But he will. If—)

Tony finally looks at Steve as he finishes. “If you tell me to stop . . . I will. Because, I’ve learnt, finally, after all these years . . . I’m going to _listen_ to _Steve Rogers_.”

He fights the immediate urge to close his eyes and shield himself from Steve’s reaction or to just flee immediately.

This is what he assembled everyone today to say. This is what they needed to hear. 

This is what will make or break them.

Steve looks considering, and Tony knows, _this is it_. He keeps talking, anyway, explaining, begging. He yells. He might be crying again. He’s not even sure.

Steve stays silent. It’s Carol who yells and storms out. Steve just watches.

Tony remembers how Steve’s fist connecting with his jaw feels and is almost prepared for it when he asks, straight out, “Cap, am I nuts about this?”

(He doesn’t want Steve to push him away with a _Don’t call me that_ if Tony used his name.)

Steve looks at him then, holds his gaze. “Not entirely.”

It’s not what Tony feared, but it’s not what he hoped for, either.

Then the remaining heroes leave, one by one, but with some, Tony knows. Stephen agrees with him. T’Challa doesn’t. The Inhumans were never a question. Steve . . .

Steve is still in the room with Tony, and they’re alone again.

“So is that it?” Tony asks quietly. 

“It?”

“I lied to you, Steve. Again. I get it if you didn’t want a scene in front of everyone, but—”

“Tony,” Steve cuts in, crossing the room, putting his hands on Tony’s shoulders. “Tony, nothing like that.” 

Tony trembles. “No?”

Steve sighs. “I spent so long trying not to pick a side here,” he says quietly. “And—I had reasons, Tony. Valid reasons. But I can’t do that anymore. I know where Carol is coming from. I think, years ago, one or both of us might’ve agreed with her too. But . . . I can’t agree with detaining people before the crime. I stand for freedom of choice. And . . . I stand with you.”

Tony’s eyes widen. “You—you agree with me?”

Steve smiles, but it looks sad. “It took us a long time to get here, didn’t it?”

With Steve, Tony can do everything.

Then Steve’s expression drops. “I was so sure staying neutral was the right choice, Tony—what if I could’ve changed something by speaking up before?”

Tony shakes his head. He sends a command to strip off his gauntlets, and when his hands are bare, he puts them on Steve’s cheeks, holds him. “None of that,” Tony says. “That’s the whole point here, Steve. The past _is_ set. The future never is.”

“Well then,” Steve says. “Seems like we should talk to Carol again.”

“She won’t—”

“Tony,” Steve smiles. “You just told me the future was never set.”

Tony can’t help himself, he laughs. That’s very like Steve, finding hope where there’s none. 

“Okay,” he says. “Let’s do that.”

Steve pulls him into a tight embrace. “Together,” he says.

“I was so scared, Steve—I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t want to—I didn’t know what I’d find, and—I should’ve told you.”

“Yes,” Steve says. “But I understand.”

Steve has always been the best at tempering Tony’s sharp edges. And Tony—Tony can’t talk about Rhodey with anyone and especially not Carol, but with Steve at his side, he just might. Maybe they could stop this war.

“Let’s do it, then,” Tony whispers into Steve’s chest. “Together.”

Steve hugs him tighter, and doesn’t let him go for a very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> I really like comics; please refrain from hating on them in the comments.
> 
> This fic has a [tumblr post here](https://laireshi.tumblr.com/post/148070214047/eye-of-the-hurricane).


End file.
